Top NBA Playoffs Parlay Picks for April 27
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee
Zach LaVine
The key piece of news is that star Bull guard Zach LaVine has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
He is officially listed as 'questionable' for this game, although some sources indicate that he has been ruled 'out.'
It seems likely that he will not play until May -- if the Bulls survive this series until then.
It may seem unfathomable that Chicago should prolong this series without its star guard.
Currently, Milwaukee leads the series 3-1 after inflicting the Bulls with two consecutive blowout losses in Chicago.
The line of reasoning is simple: how could Chicago avoid a third straight blowout when, on top of its other problems, it now has to miss its second-leading regular season scorer on the team?
Rally Angle
This line of reasoning is deceptively simple. It creates an appearance of easy mathematics that is too good to be true: the Bulls are already supposed to be susceptible to getting blown out, and, not without LaVine, their level of vulnerability should increase.
However, it often happens that when a key player goes down, others step up.
In last year's playoffs, for example, James Harden went down in Game 1 against Milwaukee.
One guy to step up was Blake Griffin, who amassed 18 points and 14 rebounds en route to an eight-point Net victory.
This year, for example, Memphis produced a shockingly strong record in games without star point guard Ja Morant as guys like currently struggling point guard De'Anthony Melton stepped up.
There are some instances this season of the rally angle applying to the Bulls.
On March 12, for example, Chicago easily covered the spread and beat Cleveland without being able to rely on LaVine.
One guy to step up in that game was Ayo Dosunmu, who amassed 17 points against the highly-ranked Cavalier defense.
This situation with LaVine is the exact sort of thing that the Bulls need.
His absence will cause the team as a whole to wake up and play batter.
LaVine's (Lack of) Defense
Chicago's offense was already struggling in this series. LaVine's absence will allow other guys to step up in the scoring department.
Meanwhile, LaVine is not exactly known for his defense.
His defensive rating in every regular season of his career has been over 110 - remember that defensive ratings in the NBA are like golf scores in that they are worse when they are higher.
LaVine's absence will help make this a lower-scoring game.
Chicago's Defense
In all reality, we should want Chicago to hold Milwaukee to 110 points or fewer in order to cover the spread.
You may have forgotten, but this is what the Bulls accomplished in Games 1 and 2 with LaVine on the court.
They held the Bucks to 93 points in a seven-point loss in Game 1 and to 110 in a Game 2 victory.
Returning to Milwaukee will reposition the Bulls in a venue that has been kind to them in this series.
Chicago's earlier defense in this series is also nothing new this year.
The Bulls had, for large parts of the season, one of the best and later still one of the NBA's better defenses. This is a fact measured by defensive rating.
In the early part of the regular season, individual Bull defenders were stepping up.
DeMar DeRozan, for example, was never playing better on defense.
More importantly, though, is the collective effort.
They were aggressive and they used this aggressiveness to force a lot of turnovers.
They bothered opposing ball-handlers as they entered the dangerous middle part of the lane.
Help defense was aggressive and unified as off-ball defenders were digging and did other things to make life inside the arc uneasy for the opponent.
Parlay Verdict
Chicago's offensive rating in these playoffs has been abysmal.
DeRozan, who scored 41 in Game 2, will have a maximal green line without LaVine around.
Dosunmu, DeRozan, and others will do enough to cover the spread as a capable Bull defense likewise steps up in LaVine's absence.
The result will be a low-scoring game where the Bulls hang around fighting for their playoff lives.
Best Bet: Parlay Bulls +11.5 at -105 & Under 218 at -110 at +273 odds with BetOnline
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee
Zach LaVine
The key piece of news is that star Bull guard Zach LaVine has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
He is officially listed as 'questionable' for this game, although some sources indicate that he has been ruled 'out.'
It seems likely that he will not play until May -- if the Bulls survive this series until then.
It may seem unfathomable that Chicago should prolong this series without its star guard.
Currently, Milwaukee leads the series 3-1 after inflicting the Bulls with two consecutive blowout losses in Chicago.
The line of reasoning is simple: how could Chicago avoid a third straight blowout when, on top of its other problems, it now has to miss its second-leading regular season scorer on the team?
Rally Angle
This line of reasoning is deceptively simple. It creates an appearance of easy mathematics that is too good to be true: the Bulls are already supposed to be susceptible to getting blown out, and, not without LaVine, their level of vulnerability should increase.
However, it often happens that when a key player goes down, others step up.
In last year's playoffs, for example, James Harden went down in Game 1 against Milwaukee.
One guy to step up was Blake Griffin, who amassed 18 points and 14 rebounds en route to an eight-point Net victory.
This year, for example, Memphis produced a shockingly strong record in games without star point guard Ja Morant as guys like currently struggling point guard De'Anthony Melton stepped up.
There are some instances this season of the rally angle applying to the Bulls.
On March 12, for example, Chicago easily covered the spread and beat Cleveland without being able to rely on LaVine.
One guy to step up in that game was Ayo Dosunmu, who amassed 17 points against the highly-ranked Cavalier defense.
This situation with LaVine is the exact sort of thing that the Bulls need.
His absence will cause the team as a whole to wake up and play batter.
LaVine's (Lack of) Defense
Chicago's offense was already struggling in this series. LaVine's absence will allow other guys to step up in the scoring department.
Meanwhile, LaVine is not exactly known for his defense.
His defensive rating in every regular season of his career has been over 110 - remember that defensive ratings in the NBA are like golf scores in that they are worse when they are higher.
LaVine's absence will help make this a lower-scoring game.
Chicago's Defense
In all reality, we should want Chicago to hold Milwaukee to 110 points or fewer in order to cover the spread.
You may have forgotten, but this is what the Bulls accomplished in Games 1 and 2 with LaVine on the court.
They held the Bucks to 93 points in a seven-point loss in Game 1 and to 110 in a Game 2 victory.
Returning to Milwaukee will reposition the Bulls in a venue that has been kind to them in this series.
Chicago's earlier defense in this series is also nothing new this year.
The Bulls had, for large parts of the season, one of the best and later still one of the NBA's better defenses. This is a fact measured by defensive rating.
In the early part of the regular season, individual Bull defenders were stepping up.
DeMar DeRozan, for example, was never playing better on defense.
More importantly, though, is the collective effort.
They were aggressive and they used this aggressiveness to force a lot of turnovers.
They bothered opposing ball-handlers as they entered the dangerous middle part of the lane.
Help defense was aggressive and unified as off-ball defenders were digging and did other things to make life inside the arc uneasy for the opponent.
Parlay Verdict
Chicago's offensive rating in these playoffs has been abysmal.
DeRozan, who scored 41 in Game 2, will have a maximal green line without LaVine around.
Dosunmu, DeRozan, and others will do enough to cover the spread as a capable Bull defense likewise steps up in LaVine's absence.
The result will be a low-scoring game where the Bulls hang around fighting for their playoff lives.
Best Bet: Parlay Bulls +11.5 at -105 & Under 218 at -110 at +273 odds with BetOnline
